70% Window Tint: What It Looks Like and Where It's Legal
70% tint is nearly clear - the legal front-side maximum in the strictest states. What it does, who chooses it, and where it is allowed.
What 70% tint looks like
Seventy percent looks like untinted glass to most people; only side by side with a bare window does the faint shading show. From inside nothing changes but a small drop in glare. It exists for heat and UV rejection, not appearance, and modern ceramic films at this figure reject a large share of infrared heat while staying invisible.
What it is used for
Front side windows in the states with a 70% floor, windshields where a full-glass film is allowed at that figure, and anyone who wants the heat rejection of a ceramic film without looking tinted at all. It is the film that satisfies a strict inspection and still does something for the cabin temperature.
Legal on front side windows in 48 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 70% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Legal on back side windows in 51 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 70% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Legal on the rear window in 51 states
Sedan rules. A state is listed when its minimum VLT for that window is 70% or lower, or it sets no limit there.
Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Questions
Does 70% tint do anything?
For looks, almost nothing. For heat, a ceramic 70% film rejects a large share of infrared and nearly all UV, which is why it is sold for windshields and strict-state front sides.
Is 70% tint legal everywhere?
On front side windows, yes - no state sets a floor above 70%. On windshields it depends on the state; many allow only a strip at the top, whatever the film's VLT.